Chicken Shop Date *ᴹᵃᵗᵗʸ ᴴᵉᵃˡʸ*

Sincerity Is Scary (7.4)

Make sure you read 7.3 first x

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In your head, they start to make sense the more minutes pass. They get each other in so many ways. They make music, they get what it's like growing up famous, the aches of not having privacy, the torturous cycle of record, drop an album and tour, and repeat.

And as they go on and on, you find yourself comparing your life to Taylor's and how you'll never truly be able to understand what it's like for him. You're new to all of this in general, and you already feel imposter syndrome at all the events you're invited to, but this makes you feel like a fish out of water. Your mind jumps to the ultimate conclusion that Matty would be much better off with someone like her. Someone on his level, someone in his league.

You're silently suffering every second that goes by and it gets harder to laugh at Matty's jokes with the growing knot in your throat. So, trying your hardest to sound normal, you excuse yourself to go get yourself a drink and you barely wait for their responses when you're off.

Water is what you stick to, not wanting to add alcohol into the whirlwind of emotions you're currently feeling just in case it would worsen it up. And you definitely didn't need that when it's your supposed official first outing as Matty's girlfriend.

You down a full cup of cold water like you'd been stuck in the desert for a whole week and you're pouring yourself another one when you feel a pair of arms wrapping around your waist from behind. Those familiar curls come to tickle your skin when Matty hides his face in your neck and presses kisses to your skin there.

A smile breaks on your face slowly, allowing yourself to enjoy the moment but then you raise your head back up, hold your water filled cup, and you catch a glimpse of Ross talking to Taylor this time, people orbiting around subtly waiting for their turn to get a minute of the pop star's attention and your insecurities can't be held back any longer.

"Girlfriend?" You ask Matty, and the word leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, like you're waiting for him to inevitably try to softly take it back.

He giggles, loving hearing that word tied to you, and he pecks your neck once more before nonchalantly replying, "Yeah, well, If you want to be?" He only words it like that just so you don't feel suffocated if it's not what you want, but god does he want to call you that every chance he gets from now on.

The fluttery feeling it gives him disappears completely when you let your voice drop almost entirely and he can barely hear you when you mumble, "I think it's more do you want to settle for me?"

"Woah," Matty's grip on you loosens immediately and he moves to the side to see your face. And when he sees that you're deadly serious he grabs your hand and instructs, "Come here."

The curly haired man pulls you in the direction of the hallway, out of the big green room and into the next room which is also theirs but has only a few members of their crew chatting together and writing some stuff down.

Matty knocks on the halfway open door and asks, "Can we have the room please?" his worry entirely written on his face so everyone nods eagerly and they quickly get their things to leave. "Thanks."

As you're both waiting for people to clear the room, you can feel his thumb stroking the back of your hand as he holds it and you wish that helped everything you were currently feeling. But it doesn't. It just makes you think that you're about to lose it, lose this, and that after this conversation you probably won't ever experience it again.

The second the last person is out and they've closed the door behind them, Matty steps around you to face you and grabs your hands, "What do you mean 'settle' for you? Do you really think being with you is settling?"